James Bond gun barrel sequence
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The James Bond gun barrel sequence is the iconic opening to every official (EON Productions) James Bond movie, beginning with the first film, Dr. No, in 1962. The introductory image has evolved noticeably throughout the series.
The sequence is Maurice Binder's creation; it introduces the fourteen titles of the series credited to him. Binder originally created the image with a pin hole camera shooting down a gun's barrel.
The gun barrel image sequence begins with a white dot scrolling across the screen, left to right, leaving a short trail of dots that quickly turn black shortly after they appear. On reaching the right edge of the frame, the dot becomes a gunman's view-to-a-kill, down a gun barrel, its rifling a distinctive spiral. The gun barrel is seen from inside — directly observing James Bond walking, right to left, against a white background. Aware of being observed, he quickly turns to his left and shoots the gunman; from above, the scene reddens with the gunman's spilling blood. The gun barrel dissolves to a white dot, roving side to side (though in older films this happens more randomly), most commonly settling in the screen's lower-right corner. The circle then expands to fill the screen, exposing the film's first scene.
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[edit] Evolution of the sequence
The first man to portray James Bond in the gun barrel sequence was not Sean Connery, but rather Bob Simmons, Connery's stuntdouble. He is the shooting spy in the gun barrel sequence that is the introductory image for the first three films (Dr. No, From Russia with Love, and Goldfinger) — hence the hat, the stuntman's time-honored technique for obscuring facial features. In 1965, when the series was first photographed in an anamorphic format, a new version of the introductory gun barrel sequence was needed in widescreen format. For this version, Sean Connery's James Bond walked, turned, and shot for the first time. Since then, every James Bond actor has filmed his own gun barrel sequence in roughly the same manner.
From Dr. No to Diamonds Are Forever, the gun barrel sequences by Bob Simmons, Sean Connery, and George Lazenby, featured James Bond in business suit and hat. When Roger Moore assumed the role in Live and Let Die (1973), James Bond does not wear a hat, but continues wearing a business suit; later films, beginning with 'The Spy Who Loved Me' (1977), feature James Bond in black tie, wearing a tuxedo, as did Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan.
Beginning with GoldenEye (1995), the gun barrel was computer-generated, emphasizing light and shade variations in the rifling spiral as the reflected light shifts with the barrel's movement. Die Another Day (2002), featured a CG bullet zooming from Bond's gun towards the viewer and disappearing — suggesting he has shot straight in to his opponent's gun (the bullet appears to be from the GoldenEye credits). This sequence is a single, commemorative effect celebrating the release of the 20th James Bond film and the 40th anniversary of the film series.
The gun barrel sequence was revised again for Daniel Craig's first portrayal of James Bond in Casino Royale released late in 2006. Unlike in previous films of the series, the gun barrel sequence does not open the film, but instead is incorporated to the ending of the pre-title teaser: Bond's first "kill" recovers and seizes his pistol to shoot 007 in the back. As the man brings his pistol up, the frame shifts instantly to the gun barrel. Bond spins around and shoots the man.
This gun barrel sequence is noticeably different from the Pierce Brosnan-era computer-generated iteration; it has 28 shiny riflings and faster falling, 3D blood and leads directly to the opening titles. It is the first gun barrel sequence without some variation of "The James Bond Theme" and also the only rendition beginning with 007 stationary and his back to the camera. Daniel Craig's James Bond is the first shown wearing an open-necked shirt instead of a business suit or a tuxedo. This is also the only instance in the series where the audience has seen the person Bond shoots.
[edit] Trivia
- In Dr. No, before Monty Norman's James Bond theme, as the white circles traverse the screen, an electronic beeping is heard which anticipates the sounds in the film's nuclear-HQ climax. This sound is heard in the "Kiss of Life" track in Die Another Day in homage to the original film.
- In Dr. No, the electronic prelude is interrupted by James Bond's firing gun, then the "James Bond Theme" plays very loudly, albeit the first notes are truncated. Instead of a single dot immediately introducing the opening scene, series of dot patterns randomly appear and disappear as the opening credits are presented.
- The first time the full "James Bond Theme" was used with the gun barrel sequence was in From Russia with Love. Moreover, Dr No is the only film featuring the circular, shooting agent motif in the beginning and the end (as an iconic still image).
- In the early version, Bond wobbles slightly while firing his gun as he adjusts his balance from an unstable position.
- During the opening of Dr. No and On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the white dot stops mid-screen and the credit line "Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli Present" appears across the dot. The text is wiped and the dot continues the sequence.
- George Lazenby, in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), is the only James Bond who drops to one knee to fire. Also, this is the only film where the descending blood erases Bond's image and the gun barrel, leaving only a red circle.
- Additionally, in Lazenby's gun barrel sequence, when the circle opens, James Bond is walking, but the barrel is still. When the barrel stops centre-screen, Bond is still walking to position for a half second before turning and shooting. This version is the only one which has the resulting treadmill effect.
- Roger Moore was the only actor to film the sequence twice. Roger Moore's first two films in the series reverted to a lesser widescreen format of 1:85:1 for theatrical release. Panavision photography was reinstated for The Spy Who Loved Me, necessitating a fifth version of the gun barrel sequence. Roger Moore's James Bond uses both hands to fire his gun, his left hand bracing his gun arm.
- The main action of the first three films opens with the dot, white once more, simply disappearing — in the cases of From Russia with Love and Goldfinger it becomes smaller while jumping to the top right, becoming the moon, as these films open with a night scene. For all subsequent films, the opening scene appears in the circle, stopped centre-screen. With the exception of For Your Eyes Only (1981), where the frame suddenly disappears to a musical cue, the circle then expands until the scene it contains fills the screen.
- While the sequence has traditionally featured the "James Bond Theme", some composers have not used the dramatic opening bars that punctuate the appearance of the white dots. Others, while retaining them, have felt free to noticeably alter the usual rendition, e.g. Michael Kamen and Eric Serra, who scored Licence to Kill and GoldenEye respectively. Kamen's arrangement was a symphonic fanfare, while Serra's arrangement is of electronic motifs.
- In the teaser trailer of Casino Royale, the gun barrel sequence is featured of new Bond Daniel Craig. The gun barrel sequence is the same shot of Daniel Craig but the the grooves of the gun are the same of the CG one used in GoldenEye-Die Another Day films.
[edit] Other uses
The gun barrel sequence is copyrighted to EON Productions and is widely used in advertisements and merchandise. References to its circular motif regularly appear in the films' titles (For Your Eyes Only), and in trailers (Tomorrow Never Dies) where the view moves down, into the gun barrel and 007 turns and shoots. The first third of the opening credits to Dr. No are based upon the circular motif, as well. GoldenEye's trailer replicates the sequence, wherein James Bond walks out and fires at the words "(But You Can Still Depend) on One Man" until it reads as the number "007", (leaving two Os and a 7 from the M). It was used in the release of the video game Agent Under Fire in a commercial asking, "Do you have what it takes to be Bond?", and showing people trying to repeat the shot, but spoiling the try. This is similar to the Japanese commercial for the release of Goldeneye 007 for the Nintendo 64 — the game uses the gun barrel sequence in the opening titles. Casino Royale's trailer also depict the gun barrel sequence. Also, a Wal-Mart exculsive commercial for The World is not Enough videogame (the old scan system was around, where you scanned a game and a short trailer would play) parodied the gun-barrel by replacing Bond with a man that looked remarkably like Zukovsky; he was shot at with a machine-gun before diving off-screen.
The sequence has been much parodied since its first appearance in 1962. It was a opening couch gag in the episode "And Maggie Makes Three" of The Simpsons wherein Homer Simpson performs the gun barrel sequence in his living room. Famously, it is the parody opening of Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. The film From Hong Kong with Love (released as Bons baisers de Hong Kong in 1975) is about the British SIS replacing James Bond, who was killed in the gun barrel sequence; notably the film features Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell, who were M and Miss Moneypenny in the official series. It is parodied in the Monty Python's Flying Circus episode, "Blood, Devastation, Death, War and Horror" with a pantomime horse; that is followed by a high-speed chase with horses as secret agents. Another use is at the start of the 12th episode of the web series Pure Pwnage. In 1987, the American television program 'Saturday Night Live' parodied the gun barrel sequence and everything James Bond in the sketch "Bullets Aren't Cheap" a.k.a. "Tightwad 007", featuring Steve Martin (as Bond) and Sting (as Goldsting); it is on the Best of Steve Martin DVD. It was also somewhat parodied in an episode of CSI where the victim is seen through the killers gun barrel, but unlike Bond, the victim doesn't turn around to shoot first and gets shot himself as you see a bullet suddenly appear from the gun barrel you are looking through.
